Coloured diamonds sold at Christie’s recently

Coloured Diamonds Australia

Did you ever see a 1953, 20th Century Fox film called Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? It was a glorious, glamorous musical with Marilyn Monroe, where she sang Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend and wore a stunning 24 carat canary yellow, pear-shaped diamond called The Moon of Baroda. It came from the Golconda mines, now Hyderabad, in India, where the Koh-i-Noor and the Grand Mazarin diamonds were also mined. On November 27 it was sold in Hong Kong at a Christie’s auction for US$1.3 million, the high end of its estimate — and a photograph of Marilyn Monroe wearing it around her neck went for US$35,000.

“I have always felt a gift diamond shines so much better than the one you buy for yourself.”

The Pink Legacy, now renamed The Winston Pink Legacy by its new owners, Harry Winston, is an extraordinary 18.96-carat fancy vivid pink cut-cornered rectangular-cut diamond that sold for over US$50 million in Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on 13 November. Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewellery, said “To find a diamond of this size with this colour is pretty much unreal. You may see this colour in a pink diamond of less than one carat. But this is almost 19 carats and it’s as pink as can be. It’s unbelievable.” In over 250 years of auction history at Christie’s, only four fancy vivid pink diamonds of over 10 carats have ever appeared for sale.

Zsa Zsa Gabor said “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and dogs are a man’s best friend. Now you know which sex has more sense.”

In their December 5 auction of Magnificent Jewels in New York, the top lot was an 8.08-carat, cushion-cut, fancy vivid blue diamond, set in a ring made by Bulgari, which went for US$18,312,500, and a 15.56-carat heart-shaped pink diamond set in a pendant sold for US$9,537,500. A pair of fancy yellow diamond earrings, nicknamed the Foxfire Diamonds,
weighing 37.87 carats and 36.80 carats, from the Rio Tinto Diavik diamond mine in Canada, reached US$1,572,500.

Mark Twain said: “It is better to have old second hand diamonds than none at all.”

Because coloured diamonds are so rare, they are prized, and because they are so hard their high polish makes them appear more vivid than other gemstones. But whether you are looking for a world famous coloured stone or a more modest one, call Karen at Diamonds by Design for advice on what to buy and how much to pay. And remember, bespoke jewellery means having the piece you’ve always wanted.